


A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

by IceboundEmu



Category: LoveLink (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Relationship Discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:07:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28648794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceboundEmu/pseuds/IceboundEmu
Summary: Blake was destroying himself with a series of one night stands following his break up.  Alex was looking for someone to share in what he enjoyed.Introduced, they quickly became "friends with benefits", but feelings have a nasty way of sneaking up.
Relationships: Blake Bailey/Alex Frederik
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

**Author's Note:**

> I loved the idea of pairing these two together to see what sparks flew, then got blindsided by my need to write Blake with feelings.
> 
> Once again I reintroduce the v-cut tattoo I was promised but never received from Blake's official storyline.
> 
> As always, thanks to Firebirdie94 who had to put up with me constantly asking "does this read right?"

Feelings were dangerous, they crept up on you when you least expected it, blindsiding you.

Blake fought the urge not to gape at the man currently pinned underneath him, whose horror-struck expression mirrored his own, before Alex decided he’d had enough of the position and promptly headbutted him.

Breaking the hold to clutch at his own wounded face Blake hissed at the pain the action had caused, resisting the urge to reciprocate and punch Alex in the gut. Glaring balefully at the artist who was glowering back at him with equal viciousness, Blake replayed the events in his head that had led to their current standoff.

Arguing between them wasn’t something new, their entire friendship had been defined by their bickering, then their agreement to become “friends with benefits” was dominated by fights in-between bouts of (often violent) sex that Blake took days to recover from. Alex had never made a secret of his love of dominating his partner, Blake was never going to be the most obedient submissive, punishment was inevitable and frequent (and enjoyed by both more than they cared to admit to one another).

The difference this time had been Blake wanting to make love to Alex for a change, instead of being on the receiving end of Alex’s attentions. He should have read the warning signs in the way the artist’s expression froze, but then if he’d been good at picking up signs, he’d never have been so shocked and hurt when the love of his life walked out on him and into the arms of another. He’d only asked because he’d wanted to show Alex he could give as good as he got, he’d started to notice more recently that Alex seemed to focus entirely on his pleasure during their liaisons, he’d be lying if he hadn’t wondered why.

Finally, Alex had seemed to shake himself from the stupor that he’d fallen into, with a laugh that sounded forced he’d reached for Blake to push him down onto the bed he was currently seated on, at which point Bake had resisted, seized him by the wrists and yanked him down with him, rolling so that Alex was trapped under him. Which had taken them both by surprise, lasted a few moments and then resulted in Alex going into full attack mode on him.

“Shit! That hurt!”

Blake supposed he was lucky that Alex hadn’t connected with his nose when he lunged, though he’d probably have a fantastic black eye in the morning.

“Don’t do that again.”

Blake noted the tremor in Alex’s voice as he spoke, wondering privately whether the violent reaction had been provoked by terror or anger. Either way he got the message, Alex didn’t take well to the positions being reversed.

“Okay. So, do I get to have sex with you tonight then?”

He’d never been good at keeping his mouth shut, something should have warned him not to press the subject, leave it for another night when they might be able to discuss it in a calmer manner. But then he’d always enjoyed rubbing salt in wounds if it led to an argument, or even better to angry sex.

“Why are you always so bloody difficult?”

Alex spat the question at him, chocolate brown eyes darkened with anger, his feathers well and truly ruffled. If anything, it made him more attractive in Blake’s eyes, the unspoken threat of a violent response was arousing to him, especially since his companion was all lean muscle and very capable of inflicting damage if he tried.

“It’s a charming aspect of my personality. Why are you so against the idea of me pleasuring you?”

Blake decided Alex also looked good with his teeth bared, like a predator preparing to pounce.

“Why are you so dead set against the idea of commitment?”

The retort was out before Alex could stop it, Blake could tell he regretted it the moment it slipped from his lips, the words bitter and acidic to Blake’s ear. Feeling injured he struck back.

“What is this? I show you my wounds and you show me yours? What are you? My boyfriend?”

“What would be so terrible about calling me that!?”

Blake blinked a few times at Alex’s reply, wondering if he looked as perplexed as Alex did at that moment. Certainly, his response had shocked them both into silence and they stared dumbly at one another.

Blake was sure he opened his mouth and closed it a few times before he could form a coherent sentence.

“Nothing…but I didn’t think you were looking for?”

“It’s not like you said you wanted it!”

Alex was reacting to this in his own way, the response was shrill, a sign of the artists distress as the realisation he’d tipped him hand and exposed a weakness in his armour that left him open for attack. There were two ways to handle it Blake decided, he could take the attack and destroy any friendship he had with Alex, or he could alleviate some of his discomfort and offer him a glance at his own cards. He really wasn’t ready to lose whatever this was, so…

“My ex, the one person I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with, left me for someone else. I decided relationships weren’t worth it after that. It broke my heart.”

Admitting it to Alex wasn’t as painful as Blake expected it would be. Bracing himself for the response he gave Alex time to process the statement and prepare his own reply.

“My ex criticized everything I said or did. We were both too alike in our tastes. When they couldn’t control me in the bedroom, they just tried to control everything else. It ended badly.”

Which judging by the sick expression on Alex’s face was something of an understatement. He wandered back to the bed, collapsing on it with a thump and staring at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact with Blake.

Both had thrown their cards down. Since he wasn’t gripped by the impulse to run out the front door Blake supposed he’d survived the first test of whatever this was going to develop into. He joined Alex on the bed, taking care not to crowd him, perching on the edge of the mattress and racking his brains for something to say.

“So, we’re both fucked up then?”

Why was it he was struck by the urge to cut his own tongue out after he said what was on his mind? Blake was aware his brain to mouth filter had failed to engage, though Alex snorted at what he must have assumed was a feeble attempt at humour, and relief at that made Blake chuckle.

“I would say that’s something of an understatement…”

Alex rolled into an upright position, laying a hand against Blake’s arm, where he studied the difference in their skin tone with an interest so intense it could only be feigned. Blake let it slide, assuming Alex was applying his own coping mechanisms to get him through the conversation.

“So, do you want to share more?”

He wasn’t sure what he was asking Alex for. His initial instinct had been another joke about the horror stories they could share, but some inner voice warned him that Alex’s experience must have been a nightmare and his own wounds were still too raw to be dismissed in such a blasé manner.

“I don’t know.”

It was an honest response, if a bit abrupt, but meant that the ball was back in Blake’s court if he wanted the conversation to continue.

“When my ex left, I had to get rid of a tattoo I’d had done for them.”

Blake lifted his shirt as he began to recount the story, motioning at the butterflies that peeked above the waistband of his trousers, a design that Alex had run appreciative fingers over more than once, admiring the flowers that formed his v-cut tattoo and the butterflies that fluttered over them. Blake hadn’t told him the reason it was there.

“It was the lyrics from the first song we danced to…I had it for three weeks before they dropped the bomb on me that there was someone else that they wanted to spend their life with. Keanu did the cover up for me. Then added the butterflies…”

He’d also done the initial tattoo, but Blake had hurt too much to care at the time that he was asking his friend to destroy his own work. Nor to care how much he was hurting Keanu as he added a butterfly for each one-night stand or no strings hook up he’d had after, until Keanu had refused to indulge in his destructive behaviour and introduced him to Alex as someone who was also looking for a good time. From there, his appetites sated by Alex’s insatiable sex drive and propensity for violence, Blake had settled back into a monogamous lifestyle.

“The butterflies represent something don’t they?”

Alex had moved his fingers to the butterfly that showed the most, a swallowtail, done in linework as he’d refused to let Keanu add colour to them. Blake winced internally as Alex traced gentle fingers across the design, following the lines.

“My one-night stands. Until Keanu refused to them anymore. Then introduced me to you. So, you’re not a butterfly on here, if you wondered.”

The fingers stilled as Alex took in what he said, Blake hazarded a glance at his face and found him looking back thoughtfully, obviously tallying up the number that adorned his abdomen. Blake puzzled over how he’d ended the sentence and why it had seemed so important to him to stress that Alex wasn’t represented. As he watched the artist’s lips curved upwards in a smirk, Blake guessed he’d found the perfect retort.

“So, where’s the flamingo hide then?”

Blake laughed out loud at the question, it had become something of a standing joke between the two of them about Alex’s love for the Pink Flamingo, a club both had attended on separate occasions, the last time Blake had been there he’d taken the time to admire the mural Alex had been commissioned to create. He’d offered to create a tattoo for Alex to commemorate the occasion, which was still lying in his studio at work, he’d never plucked up the courage to bring it with him.

“You have flamingos on the brain…”

He chased Alex’s hands away from where he was trying to unbuckle his belt, determined that the conversation shouldn’t be derailed by their appetites for one another. Now it was time to see if Alex wanted to share. The silence lengthened as he watched Alex patiently, who eyed him with increasing discomfort as it dawned on him what Blake was waiting for.

“I…I really don’t want to talk about it…I’m sorry?”

So, Alex’s wounds seemed more raw, maybe deeper than Blake’s. He couldn’t help but press a little to see if Alex wanted prepared to part with anything.

“Why so focussed on my pleasure all the time? What about yours?”

Alex flinched at the question.

“Nothing I did was right…I tried so hard to make them feel good.”

Blake could understand wanting to satisfy a lover, but perhaps not to the extent that Alex had. He slid an arm around Alex’s waist, pulling him into an awkward hug, feeling the artist rest his head against Blake’s shoulder, dreadlocks tickling his shoulder. Blake pressed what he hoped was a soothing kiss against the artist’s temple before he uttered the next words on his mind.

“Let me show you how wrong they were.”

Alex shivered against him in response. Then, so quickly Blake doubted he’d seen it, Alex gave a brief, imperceptible nod of his head. Aware that Alex was trusting him with a lot he gently manoeuvred Alex back against the pillows of the bed, pressing his chest to encourage him to lie back.

“Blake…”

Less than thirty seconds in and Alex already sounded like he was regretting his decision. Blake caught his left hand with his own as it fluttered up from the bed, entwining their fingers and brushing his thumb across the palm Alex had exposed with the action, aware Alex was already trembling, though with anticipation or fear it was impossible to tell.

“Too much too soon?”

Blake figured he had to give Alex the lead on setting the pace for this or risk frightening him away.

“Yes, maybe, I don’t know? Can we just? Can you just hold me for a while?”

That he could do, though he was aware the air in the studio was cool, so he just had one stipulation.

“Want to cuddle under the blankets?”

That made Alex smile and immediately leap into action, breaking their hand holding and leaving the bed briefly to burrow under the covers, Blake mirrored the action, feeling the relief at the warming sensation of the heavy material over them helping to trap their own heat and block the chill of the air. Alex snuggled against him, recapturing his hand to restore the intimacy of their previous contact and closing his eyes to enhance the sensation. Blake took the opportunity to drop an affectionate kiss on his forehead, figuring they had all the time in the world to see where this new twist took them.


End file.
